INFRASTRUCTURE; A Victory, and a Setback, for Obama

By MICHAEL COOPER

Published: February 14, 2009

By one measure, the public- works spending in the stimulus package exceeds the promises President Obama made as a candidate. But by another, it falls short.

The agreement calls for spending $120 billion on infrastructure, almost double the $60 billion Mr. Obama promised during the campaign. But it does not create the national infrastructure bank he had called for to set national priorities and get big projects done.

As a result, much of the money for roads will be distributed under existing formulas that give some to each state regardless of its needs or the merits of its projects.

While most spending was scaled back in the agreement, one area saw a huge increase: money for high-speed rail was quadrupled, to $8 billion. High-speed rail is popular with several moderate Republicans being courted to support the stimulus package.

The money would, however, be a only small down payment. California estimates it will cost $45 billion to build its high-speed line, and 10 other areas want to build one, too.

If transit advocates were excited by the rail money, they were disappointed that only $8.4 billion was included for mass transit, two-thirds of what the House had sought. Highways and bridges will get the biggest share, $29 billion, which officials estimate will create 835,000 jobs. At least half the money would have to be obligated by the states within 120 days.

The bill also contains $11 billion to modernize the electric grid, more than $6 billion for water projects, $6.5 billion to repair and build military housing and facilities, $4.5 billion to make federal buildings energy efficient, $4 billion to repair public housing and $7 billion to expand broadband access. MICHAEL COOPER

CHART: Adding Up the $787 Billion Tab: Numbers are compiled from estimates by House and Senate committees and the Congressional Budget Office. Figures are rounded in billions. Chart details the following: $287 billion in tax breaks; $192 billion in direct aid; $308 billion in discretionary spending